I'm Hunting...the rest of the story with picture added

[San Juan Slim]

I'm in my blind for the Colorado pronghorn opener.  A buck is on the ridge above me about 3/4 miles away.  This may be as close as I get.  It's cloudy and cool.  Not a great water hole day.  Oh well, I'm hunting and having a great time.  If I get lucky in the next few days I'll let you know.

Mike

[northern fisher]

I envy you   .Good luck and keep us posted.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Cool!! a live hunt    

Good luck and shoot strait    

Tracy

[Gatekeeper]

Originally posted by San Juan Slim:
If I get lucky in the next few days I'll let you know.

Mike

Let us know how your hunt goes too.    

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Tracy

[Big Ed]

You are killing me!!  

[JimB]

Good luck.I just got out of the blind myself.Remember,pictures,pictures!

[centaur]

I was spotting and stalking today. Actually, I was more spotted than spotting. Here is as close as I got; not quite a longbow shot.

But, we're hunting!

[frassettor]

Originally posted by centaur:
I was spotting and stalking today. Actually, I was more spotted than spotting. Here is as close as I got; not quite a longbow shot.


But, we're hunting!

Great picture  

[Bill Shepard]

You're definitely in the right neighborhood.  Keep up the good work and I'll put in a good word for your success.

Thank you for sharing your hunt!    

[steadman]

Good luck guys! I'm sure missing hunting goats this year.

[wv lungbuster]

Good luck.  

[Kip]

Good luck all of you that can hunt now.Kip

[Irish]

 Wish I was there!!

[San Juan Slim]

I'm back at the camper tonight.  This is my first time to hunt pronghorn in my home state.  I have been on quite a few trips to Wyoming for antelope.  Today was not a successful day.  We (my college aged son and I) have been seeing mainly bachelor bucks both singles and pairs.  They are decent bucks and since my son has not killed anything with his longbow, I'm hoping he gets a chance this year.  It is hard to find time to hunt with a bow while he is in school.  Eastern Colorado has apparently been quite wet this summer and water holes abound.  It rained some last night and is forecast to rain tommorow as well.  The spot and stalk opportunities are tough also because the country is only rolling grass hills with not much cover.  We do have a chance to come back later in the season if we want.  Of course that will interfere with elk hunting.

Enough complaining!  As my topic states, I'm hunting and with my son no less.  It was a beautiful opening day and God's creation never ceases to amaze me.  I'm truly blessed to be able to be out there hunting.

Mike

[Thumper Dunker]

Way cool.

[Guru]

Good for you Mike....enjoy!

[Gen273]

Congrats, enjoy the time with your son.
Keep us posted.

[bornagainbowhunter]

I spent some time in the San Juan's this summer, man what a beautiful place.  I saw alot of elk, but I did not see any goats.  That is wonderful that you can hunt these critters in you home state, maybe some year I will be over there hunting in CO too.

Good luck, God Bless and be sure to enjoy his creation and thank Him for it.

[San Juan Slim]

Well the hunting was tough with all the extra water holes in eastern Colorado from this summer's rains.  We never did have an antelope come into our blinds to water.  The good news is that my 19 year-old son not only made his first kill with a longbow, but he did something dad has never done--stalked to within 25 yards of a buck antelope.



I had spotted this buck in the middle of a herd of cattle above the blind where my son, Jacob, was hunting.  I went to the blind to pick Jacob up and told him about the buck.  I had just bought a Montana Decoy Moo Cow for this hunt and told him to try it out and see how it worked.  I watched as his stalk began.  He spooked off several cows and I didn't think his chances on the pronghorn buck were too good.  I was at the truck probably 600-700 yards away from where the buck was feeding. He was over a couple of rises and I lost sight of Jacob as he continued the stalk.  I sneaked up to the top of one rise and saw that Jacob had his bow on the ground and the decoy was down as well.  I figured he'd been busted and I headed back to the truck to go pick him up.  Just as I got to the truck my phone rang.  It was Jacob.  I asked him if he had spooked the buck and needed me to drive down closer to him.  He said, "no dad I got him."  I was ecstatic!  He said his shot was a little back but that the buck had laid down within eyesight.  I headed up and joined Jacob and brought binoculars to watch.  The buck took about an hour to expire.  I actually headed after another buck on the ridge and after I finished blowing that stalk, I turned around and could see Jacob's buck laying dead.

I am obviously one proud dad.  I was certainly happier than if I had killed the buck myself.  We took plenty of pictures.  As you can see there was not much cover for stalking in this country, but it is certainly a beautiful landscape.  I may get a few more days to hunt antelope myself, but elk and bear seasons are coming up soon.  This hunt would have been special even with no success, but I was sure happy for Jacob to draw first blood with his bow.  It is an antelope hunt we will never forget.

Mike